Something to Ponder

There is a great modern error which I want to mention: it is that the coming of the Spirit happened once and for all, that the individual Christian is not affected by it. It is like the birth of Christ which happened once and for all and the most excellent sermon on the birth of Christ would never have that birth repeated, and all the prayers in the wide world would never have Christ born again of the Virgin Mary.

It is, they say, like the death and resurrection of Christ—never to be repeated. This error asserts that the coming of the Holy Spirit is an historic thing, an advance in the dispensational workings of God; but that it is all settled now and we need give no further thought to it. It is all here and we have it all, and if we believe in Christ that is it and there isn’t anything more.

All right. Now everybody has a right to his view, if he thinks it is scriptural; but I would just like to ask some questions. I won’t answer them; I’ll just ask them, and you preach your own sermon.

Is the promise of the Father, with all its attendant riches of spiritual grace and power, intended to be for the first-century Christians only? Does the new birth, which the first-century Christians had to have, suffice for all other Christians, or is the new birth which they had to have that which we have to have? Does the new birth have to be repeated in each Christian before it is valid, or did that first church get born again for us? Can you get born again by proxy? The fact that those first 120 were born again, does that mean that we don’t have to be? Now you answer me.

You say, “No, certainly we agree that everybody has to have the new birth for himself, individually.” All right, if that is true (and it is), is the fullness of the Spirit which those first Christians received enough? Does that work for you and me? They had the fullness; now they are dead. Does the fact that they were filled avail to me? You answer that question.

Again, I want to ask you, would a meal eaten by Saint Peter in the year A.D. 33 nourish me today? Would a good meal of barley cakes and milk, and honey spread on the barley cake—a good meal for a good Jew in Peter’s day— nourish me today? No, Peter is dead, and I can’t be nourished by what Peter ate.

Would the fullness of the Holy Ghost that Peter got in the upper chamber do for me today, or must I receive individually what Peter received?...

Listen, brother. Our Lord Jesus Christ advertised that He was going away to the Father and He was going to send back for His people a wonderful gift, and He said, “Stay right here until it comes, because it will be the difference between failure and success to you.”

Then the Spirit came. Was He equal to the advertising? Did they say, “Is this all He meant! Oh, it is disappointing!” No. The Scripture says they wondered. The word “wonder” is in their mouths and hearts. He gave so much more than He promised, because words were the promise and the Holy Ghost was the fulfillment.

The simple fact is that we believers are not up to what He gave us reason to expect. The only honest thing to do is admit this and do something about it. There certainly has been a vast breakdown somewhere between promise and fulfillment. That breakdown is not with our heavenly Father, for He always gives more than He promises.

Now I am going to ask that you reverently ponder this and set aside time and search the Scriptures, pray and yield, obey and believe, and see whether that which our Lord gave us reason to think could be the possession of the Church may not be ours in actual fulfillment and realization.